Investors Foundation in Short Hills supports HAPI Foundation

The Investors Foundation in Short Hills, which provides funding to support programs and services that enrich the communities served by Investors Bank, has awarded a $2,500 grant to HAPI Foundation in Roseland.

Vice president and market manager Betty Spiropoulos, third from left, of the Investors Foundation in Short Hills, presents a $2,500 grant to executive director Lori Robinson, second from left, of HAPI Foundation (formerly Hoop-A-Paluza) in Roseland, second from left. Investors Foundation representatives also include, from left, Joana Mendonca, Sonia Tomaz and Angelica Nagiewicz.

HAPI, which was founded by Short Hills residents, supports a wide range of charities and social-service agencies that focus on the health and well-being of disadvantaged children. Since its founding in 2002, HAPI has raised more than $2.5 million to benefit a variety of causes, including summer camp and mentoring programs for inner-city youths and emergency financial assistance for families of sick children.

The foundation’s grant will support HAPI’s partnership with Children’s Aid and Family Services in Paramus. The agencies are working together to help teenaged children in foster care find permanent homes with adoptive parents.

"Many of these children have spent years in foster programs and are struggling with medical or behavioral issues," said Lori Robinson, executive director of HAPI Foundation. "Thanks to the compassion of organizations like Children’s Aid and Family Services, and the outstanding generosity of organizations like the Investors Foundation, we’re able to help these vulnerable, hard-to-place young people find homes in the loving, supportive family environments that they deserve."

"The Investors Foundation is glad to continue its support of the HAPI Foundation, which continues to make a positive difference in the lives of thousands of children and families throughout the region," added Investors Bank president and chief executive officer Kevin Cummings.